Cuba Libre Restaurant & Rum Bar Restaurant Review

: If you find yourself on touristy International Drive and jonesin’ for a mojito and live Latin music, head to Cuba Libre, where the bar features 14 choices: pomegranate, mango, watermelon, peach, cherry, pineapple, raspberry---the list goes on. We prefer a traditional version made with lots of sugar syrup (they make their own from sugar cane), mint (they grown their own) and their own brand of rum (5-, 15-, 21-year-old varieties). The elaborate interior is like a movie set of old Havana, with a courtyard for dancing to live music, wrought iron balconies with terra-cotta rooftops and wide steps leading to the upstairs dining room. This place is more dance club than restaurant, and purists won’t endorse the trendy take on Cuban cuisine, a menu that jumps from mango-barbecue shrimp skewers to a burger made from beef, pork and chorizo. Authentic Cuban it’s not. The grilled skirt steak with Argentinean-inspired chimichurri is a safe bet, served with roasted garlic mashed potatoes.